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Willow has fabulous hair, fabulous magic, and fabulous cutting remarks. | Lucasfilm Ltd.
Thirty years after the movie, Willow is back — and he’s got great hair, a great ensemble cast, and a super-fun adventure for you to watch.
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Mocopi, a riff on motion capture and “copy”, uses small sensors to control an avatar in virtual reality in real time. | Image: Sony
Sony has announced Mocopi, a portable and lightweight motion capture system that can be used to control a digital avatar in real time within metaverse applications like VR Chat. The kit consists of six button-like tracking tags — one for your head, hip, both ankles, and both wrists — that use Bluetooth to pair with an Android or iOS smartphone app to input motion data to compatible services like Unity.
The Mocopi sensors measure 32mm (around 1.2 inches) in diameter and weigh just 8g, making them lighter than an Apple AirTag despite being of a similar size. The system is portable thanks to being completely wireless and not requiring a base station, and the trackers can be fully charged in around 90 minutes via the USB-C charging case....
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Microsoft is offering Windows 11 users a preview of an update that fixes some gaming performance problems. The software maker originally warned of issues with lower than expected performance in some games earlier this month, after some Windows 11 users that had upgraded to the latest 2022 Update (22H2) noticed problems.
“Some games and apps might experience lower than expected performance or stuttering on Windows 11, version 22H2,” said Microsoft at the time. “Affected games and apps are inadvertently enabling GPU performance debugging features not meant to be used by consumers.”
While Microsoft didn’t list the exact apps and games experiencing problems, the company did block the Windows 11 2022 Update for systems with affected games and...
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Mario Mario and Luigi Mario in the new Mario movie trailer. | Screenshot: The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Plus production troubles for Apple’s flagship iPhones.
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Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
Valve’s Steam Deck handheld will start shipping to Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan on December 17th. Reservations for the handheld PC-meets-console opened up through Komodo in August, and customers who preordered will start receiving requests to finalize orders starting December 1st.
The first Steam Deck units in Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan will start shipping on December 17th, and Valve says delivery times are expected “to vary from a few days to a couple of weeks.”
We're happy to announce that Steam Decks will start shipping in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on December 17th via Komodo, our official Steam Deck distributor in these regions.
Customers in these regions can reserve the Steam Deck here: h...
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Unofficial renders point towards a new design for next year’s Galaxy S23. | Image: OnLeaks / Digit.in
Samsung will announce its next flagship phone lineup, the Galaxy S23 series, in the first week of February 2023, according to a report from Korean news outlet Korea JoongAng Daily. The paper cites an unnamed Samsung Electronics executive, who says “the S23 series will be shown during our own Unpacked event in the United States, which will be held in February.” The event is believed to be taking place in San Francisco.
The rumored date lines up with previous reports about Samsung’s launch plans for the upcoming device, with Korean outlet Chosun also reporting a February launch date earlier this month. For context, Samsung launched the Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy S20 in February of 2022 and 2020 respectively, but 2021’s Galaxy S21 arrived a...
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The recently released OnePlus 10T, which will only get three major OS upgrades. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
OnePlus is committing to a longer support period for some upcoming phones, with an announcement that “select devices launched in 2023 and beyond” will receive four major Android updates and five years of security updates. But a company spokesperson declined to give an on-the-record answer about which of its phones will benefit from this extended support period, meaning it’s unclear whether it’ll just apply to OnePlus’ flagship phones or also the midrange Nord lineup.
The length of support OnePlus has given to its phones has historically varied between devices but, in general, has started to lag behind what’s offered by other Android manufacturers. Both the OnePlus 10T and OnePlus 10 Pro are due to get three major OS version upgrades and...
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You might have to buy Blue somewhere else. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Twitter’s revamped Blue subscription might not be available as an in-app purchase on iOS when it eventually relaunches so that it can dodge Apple’s 30 percent cut of App Store purchases, according to Platformer. When the new Blue was briefly available earlier this month, you could only purchase it through Twitter’s iOS app. But while Elon Musk is publicly tweeting his displeasure with Apple, it appears he wants to avoid having to pay Apple’s fees.
Musk had said that the new Blue, which allows people to purchase a blue verification check mark, was set to relaunch on Tuesday after signups were paused following a wave of impersonators. But that launch has been delayed, Platformer says, and The Verge has also heard of the delay from a...
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iPhone 14 Pros are a scarce sight these days. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
Apple is on track to ship 20 percent fewer iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max units than expected this quarter due to recent covid lockdown restrictions and labor protests at an iPhone production plant owned by Foxconn. The latest report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimates a shortfall of 15 to 20 million units, far worse than the 6 million units predicted earlier this week. The 14 Pro and Pro Max were already hard to find, and Kuo predicts that mass shipments won’t resume until late December at the earliest.
Workers at the massive Foxconn facility have reportedly been forced to live on-site in an attempt to contain a covid outbreak. Protests ensued, with workers citing withheld pay and poor conditions, spurring Foxconn to offer some newly...
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Nintendo
Today, Nintendo gave fans a second look at The Super Mario Bros. Movie with a new trailer, giving us another opportunity to hear Chris Pratt as the preeminent pixelated plumber. We also got the first official glimpse of Donkey Kong and Princess Peach and heard Anya Taylor-Joy’s rendition of the Mushroom Monarch.
It’s interesting that we’re getting a second trailer a little more than a month after the first one captivated the internet. The constricted release schedule might have to do with the fact that promotional materials for the film leaked after the first trailer. Ironically, shortly before today’s presentation, posters for the movie were also apparently leaked, giving us more looks at Toad, Luigi, and perhaps most distressingly,...
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Image: AWS and uCrowds
Amazon has a new AWS service, AWS SimSpace Weaver, that lets users build massive simulations that look like real-world SimCity maps. The idea of this new service is that users can take advantage of Amazon’s massive AWS resources to run simulations that scale across multiple servers without running into computing or memory limitations, which could be useful for things like modeling the foot traffic surrounding a new sports stadium.
You can see AWS SimSpace Weaver in action in this impressive video demo from uCrowds, which simulates 1 million people walking around Las Vegas. By layering in geospatial data with the hordes of simulated people, it can give you an idea of how people might move around the computerized streets of the city if...
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My controller’s joystick broke off. Sure, I’ll take the free brand-new controller, but I really just wanted a replacement plastic part. | Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge
It’s a good day when you get a free replacement for something broken. For me, it was a new controller. My old controller had its right joystick snap off in my bag. Despite the protruding nub snapping off, the analog mechanism still worked — so I reached out to the manufacturer for a replacement stick, and instead, they sent me a very nice and very new replacement. The thing is, like Carrie from Sex and the City, I didn’t want a replacement Blueberry iBook, Aiden! I just want my PowerBook fixed.
Don’t get me wrong. Of course, I am just as grateful for the replacement as I was for the Thanksgiving turkey I’m still digesting. But my request to customer service wasn’t for a replacement — it was for a part. I inquired again about the part,...
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The $1,699 LG-45GR95QE has 800R curvature — you can sit just 0.8 meters away and still get the full effect. | Image: LG
My request has been granted: Samsung’s jaw-dropping lineup of ultra-wide, ultra-curved, ultra-fast gaming monitors is about to have much-needed competition. LG and MSI are both angling for your dollars, and unlike Samsung, they’re doing it with OLED panels.
On December 12th, LG will introduce the first 240Hz OLED gaming monitors we’ve ever seen, and it won’t just be the $999.99 27-inch flatscreen we told you about last week. The company will also open preorders for the $1,699.99 LG-45GR95QE, a 45-inch curved OLED beast. It’s a 21:9 monitor at 3440 x 1440 resolution, so not quite as wide or high-res as the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey G9, but it could make up for that in other ways.
Image: LG
Not quite as wide or...
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Once again Overwatch 2 is the best in show with its skin design. | Blizzard
The inaugural season of Overwatch 2’s battle pass is almost done, with season 2 starting on December 6th. With the new season come a fresh set of skins, a new hero, new map, and a new game mode, all with a Greek mythology flavor that might make you forget about that other god of war. (Unlikely.)
The biggest development coming with season 2 is the release of the sexy sentient robot Ramattra. Over the weekend, Blizzard revealed more about his design, abilities, and play style, creating what Blizzard’s calling a “tempo tank,” reflecting his unique ability to change his form and thereby his abilities to fit the flow of battle.
Ramattra’s two forms are his regular omnic form and a super-beefy nemesis form that has Ramattra hulk up like...
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You could win cash, in-game currency, or even consoles during the two-month-long tournament. | Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Starting on December 1st, PlayStation gamers will be able to compete in ladder tournaments against other players for clout and prizes. Dubbed the “Win-A-Thon,” the ladder tournaments for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 run from December 1st to January 31st and can be entered via the Events page on each console.
Sony seems to be making it deliberately simple to use this feature, giving it some front-and-center attention on the homescreen. After all, new features don’t mean much if you can’t find them (RIP Accolades).
PlayStation Tournaments on PS5 officially launches today.
Full details on its features, Discord community hub, and a new competition kicking off this week: https://t.co/mghKwKdUX0 pic.twitter.com/wmAqBij15I
—...
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
It’s a lose-lose situation. While some streamers are losing money by paying to get content on their platforms, others are losing money by distributing it on their own platforms. The result? Price hikes.
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Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images
Hello there! I hope you all had a nice break. Thanksgiving food is not my thing, but I did enjoy watching the last third of Saturday Night Fever with my parents and in-laws (shockingly depressing!).
Back to the grind. Today, Spotify Wrapped copycats make their debut and Google and iHeartMedia get a slap on the wrist for a misleading ad campaign.
Slow Burn wins Apple’s new podcast prize (and promo)
Today, Apple Podcasts introduced an award for “Show of the Year,” with its inaugural honor going to Slate’s Slow Burn. In the weeks leading up to the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade in June, Slow Burn published an in-depth account of the history behind the landmark 1973 case. Honestly, the podcast was great (and all the more...
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Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge
Are you looking for an efficient and easy way to schedule meetings? Sharing your Google calendar helps you do that by essentially handing that job over to the other party. Others can get a glimpse into your schedule and find a time slot that works for both of you. That leaves you free to do more important things than studying your schedule and sending emails about availability.
Even better, it’s a pretty simple and painless process, too, one that we’ll guide you through here so you can start sharing your calendar today.
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“Orion reached its maximum distance from Earth during the Artemis I mission when it was 268,563 miles away from our home planet.” — NASA | Image: NASA
On Monday, NASA’s Orion spacecraft reached its farthest distance from Earth, clocking in at 268,563 miles away from our planet. This marks the halfway point of the 25.5-day Artemis I mission, and the spacecraft will now continue its orbit around the Moon before heading back toward Earth.
“Artemis I has had extraordinary success and has completed a series of history-making events,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a press conference, pointing out that Orion was the first spacecraft designed to carry humans to enter a distant retrograde lunar orbit and that it has surpassed the record for the furthest distance traveled away from Earth by a human-rated spacecraft.
During Orion’s orbit around the Moon, which will last about a week, it...
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Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman and Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman. | Netflix
It’s been 20 years since That ‘80s Show spectacularly failed to recreate That ‘70s Show’s monster success and wound up being canceled just weeks into its first season. The way That ‘70s Show went out with a lackluster bang a few years later could easily have been the end of the franchise, but Netflix is gearing up to bring the Point Place crew back with the very imaginatively named That ‘90s Show.
Similar to That ‘70s Show, That ‘90s Show revolves around a group of young Wisconsinites whose budding friendships are destined to become lifelong relationships as they all grow up and get to know one another. As much as Leia Forman (Callie Haverda) loves her mom and dad, she knows that if she ever wants to really get out there and explore the...
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The new SlimBlade Pro. | Image: Kensington
Kensington’s new version of its SlimBlade trackball mouse has a big improvement over the original model: wireless connectivity. With the SlimBlade Pro, which Kensington announced on Tuesday, you’ll be able to connect the trackball to your PC or Mac via Bluetooth or with a 2.4GHz wireless dongle (via 9to5Mac).
Kensington claims the SlimBlade Pro will be able to get up to four months of battery life on a single charge, so you should be able to use the trackball for quite a while before needing to plug it in. The dongle has a handy storage spot on the bottom of the trackball if you want to keep it out of sight. And if you prefer keeping your mouse or trackball hooked up to your computer all the time, the SlimBlade Pro works with a wired...
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Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge
I am a devoted Apple Music user, and you will pry the service out of my cold, dead hands. Still, I’ve spent the past few Decembers incredibly jealous of the sea of Spotify rewinds that populated my friends’ social media profiles.
Sure, Apple has always had ways to see your most-played songs over given periods of time. But it hasn’t had anything nearly as comprehensive or interesting as what Spotify puts out — at least, until this year.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Replay, Apple Music’s new answer to Spotify Wrapped, is quite the same as its time-honored competitor. Still, it shows you the basics — your top artists, your top songs, stuff like that.
Here’s how to get it up and running.
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A Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A regional aircraft engine converted to perform a hydrogen test at Boscombe Down in the UK. | Image: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce and European airline easyJet announced that they’ve successfully tested a hydrogen jet engine — technology the companies hope might eventually help erase aviation’s greenhouse gas emissions. The ground test marks “the world’s first run of a modern aero engine on hydrogen,” Rolls-Royce said in a press release yesterday.
Aviation is considered one of the most difficult industries to clean up because it’s much harder to make electric planes than electric vehicles. Batteries charged with renewable solar and wind energy are still too bulky for long flights. So airlines and plane manufacturers are working to develop planes that can run oncleaner fuels like hydrogen, which produces water vapor instead of carbon dioxide when burned....
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Image: Apple
Best of 2022 lists and end-of-year recaps are just around the corner, including Spotify Wrapped, the streaming platform’s flashy interactive feature that’s become an annual tradition that overtakes social media for a few solid days. Its main competitor, Apple Music, made some charts for listeners, too,and comes with some changes this time around.
Apple Music Replay is available for users beginning today, accessed via the platform’s website. It’s not the first time Apple Music has tried competing with Spotify’s roundup — it launched Replay in 2019 in the form of custom playlists — but, until now, hasn’t had a major update.
Image: Apple
The custom reel includes listener insights like top albums.
This year’s...
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Image: Polestar
Polestar is making its own e-bike. In a recent interview with The Verge, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath confirmed that the company was working on a battery-powered two-wheeler along with Sweden’s Allebike, with which it had previously worked on a Polestar-branded nonelectric mountain bike.
But that said, Ingenlath said he is cognizant of how it looks when a company that makes cars strays into the bike lane. “I always hated that marketing stunt of buying a bike and then just putting your brand on it,” Ingenlath said in an interview.
Ingenlath’s skepticism is warranted. Often, when you hear about car companies releasing their own electric bikes, it’s just a brand licensing deal. Think Jeep’s e-bike, those Hummer bikes from last decade, or...
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Photo illustration by William Joel / The Verge
Has sound quality taken a back seat to convenience?
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The Noc Design / The Verge
Cyber Monday is behind us — but is it really, though? Many of the deals that started on Black Friday continued through the weekend, remained with us on Cyber Monday, and now, we’re here. It’s Tuesday, and there are still many great tech deals available on gadgets like earbuds, smart speakers, smartwatches, and even some smartphones.
Sure, some hot deals cropped up during that time and have since sputtered out, but if you didn’t get your chance to shop already or were indecisive, you may still be in luck. Check out all the deals we’ve compiled and rounded up for you, ranging from all types of handy products across a variety of price points. The holiday shopping season may continue to bring a smattering of great deals, though not all will...
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YouTube Music’s 2022 recap will highlight your top tracks and artists. | Image; Google
The end of the year is fast approaching, which means it’s time for the world’s biggest music streaming services to summarize your listening habits in the most shareable ways possible. First out of the gate this year is YouTube Music’s 2022 Recap feature, launching today.
Like last year, the main attraction is the personalized music stats it pulls together, highlighting the artists, songs, music videos, and playlists you’ve most listened to and watched throughout the course of the year. But there are also some new inclusions, including highlights of artists you might have discovered before they blew up and a new “music personality” feature that attempts to analyze your listening habits to deliver a verdict on your “music vibe.”
It’ll...
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Twitter will no longer take action against tweets that contain covid misinformation or the accounts that post them. Instead of announcing the change, the platform added a note to the pages that outline its covid misinformation policies, saying, “Effective November 23, 2022, Twitter is no longer enforcing the COVID-19 misleading information policy.”
Twitter first introduced these policies in 2020 and began applying labels to tweets that contained disputed information about covid and its vaccines. The platform also removed tweets that contained “demonstrably false or potentially misleading content” and permanently suspended accounts if they continuously broke the rules. According to data posted by Twitter, the company suspended a total of...
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Portal, the first-person puzzle game that spawned a thousand memes, is getting a glow-up on December 8th, courtesy of a free piece of DLC. Portal with RTX was originally announced alongside Nvidia’s new RTX 4080 and 4090 graphics cards and adds ray-tracing support along with remade hi-res textures and models to the game. The result is much more realistic lighting and reflections, making the 15-year-old title look almost brand new.
Nvidia says the DLC was created with RTX Remix, its new modding platform that’s designed to make it easier to add support for modern technologies like ray tracing, enhanced materials, and DLSS to classic titles. Portal with RTX supports DLSS 3, the latest version of Nvidia’s AI upscaling technology, which is...